Endotracheal tubes are utilized in a wide variety of medical procedures to provide an unobstructed air passage to a patient's trachea. In many emergency situations, it is necessary to intubate a patient as quickly as possible to provide a secure airway to the patient's lungs or permit forced ventilation thereof whilst preventing introduction of gastric contents. Intubation is often difficult because of the contours and obstacles encountered in a patient's airway. Perhaps the most difficult step in intubating a patient is maneuvering an endotracheal tube's outboard end into his trachea as opposed to his esophagus.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,983 to Fletcher illustrates and describes a guide device for an endotracheal tube which assists in intubating the trachea. The guide device includes a flexible bar which may be inserted in the endotracheal tube. A flexible line extends along the bar and has a free length at the inner end of the bar. When the line is pulled, the free length shortens and causes the inner end portion of the bar to flex in bowed fashion against the endotracheal tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,400 to Scholten illustrates and describes a directable stylet for naso and oroendotracheal intubations including hand operated lever bar and grip support for applying high force to an articulating wire that produces a first curvature and a reverse curvature to facilitate intubation.
Other stylets are illustrated and described in inter alia U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,47 to Matsuo, U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,939 to Sheridan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,362 to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,624 to Komiya, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,577 to Badger et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,787 to Danforth, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,716 to Chenoweth, U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,122 to Mizus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,688 to Rosenblum, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,475 to LaBombard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,577 to Six, U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,888 to Hawley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,377 to Schroeder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,249 to Quinn, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,338 to Merchant et al.